Raura's Daughter

nine.

Laura's POV

"So... if you don't mind me asking, how was your first day back at school?" Mom asked with a cheerful smile as she handed me an empty plate to put my food onto. I sighed and giggled at her. I'd been dreading this conversation since the moment I'd walked in from school. "I know what you're thinking, back off Mom! But seriously sweetie, how did it go?"

I smiled and placed a spoonful of mashed potato onto my plate. "You know what Mom, it was good. I had a really nice day."

I was being honest at least. My day hadn't been great but it hadn't been bad by any means. I'd met a new friend, I was on a journey to rekindling old friendships with those I lost throughout my pregnancy and I was already up to date on the few pieces of homework I'd been given. For me to sit at a dining table with my Mom and tell her that my day had been awful would be a complete understatement from me.

I watched my mother's lips curve up into a beautiful smile as she took a sip from her glass of icy cold water. She hadn't drunk much wine since my father had passed away and truthfully, I was glad about that. It was a refreshing change for her body and of course, her mind. "Oh honey, I am so happy to hear that! I was so nervous for you to come home, I thought you'd never want to go back again."

"No, no, Mom, everyone has been so supportive and sweet." I murmured with a smile as I began to dig into a plate of homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I was right though, I hadn't realised it whilst being at school but no-one had made any snarky remarks to me about my pregnancy nor about Isabella being my daughter. Everyone had been supportive and treated me like the same person I was before becoming a mother and that for me was more than enough to ask for. "I didn't think they would be but I was wrong."

Mom shrugged her shoulders at me and cupped her hands beneath her chin. "They would have no reason to bash you honey. You aren't the first girl to become a young mother and you surely won't be the last."

Both of us stared at one another for a split second, I knew what we were both thinking, or better yet, who we were thinking of. Neither of us had heard from Vanessa since I was in my last month of pregnancy, her and Riker had decided to leave without even saying goodbye. I couldn't help but wonder if my Mom had forgiven her yet, especially since Vanessa left us at one of the hardest times in our families life; losing our father.

"Anyway," Mom said with a gentle sigh. I gulped as I took a huge sip from my glass of water. She must have come to the awkward realisation that neither of us were saying anything and both of us were thinking about Vanessa. It was a topic that we hadn't yet found the strength to discuss, despite all the other crap we'd had to face in the last year, Vanessa's situation was by far the hardest. "how's my home cooking coming along? I think the meatloaf tastes pretty good!"

I smiled and began to tuck into my meal. "It's delicious, Mom. I love it!"

Mom opened her mouth to answer me back when a loud cry came from Isabella's nursery upstairs. With a groan I placed my cutlery down on the table beneath me and stood up from my chair, causing a load squeak to come across the kitchen floorboards. "Sweetie, wait!" Mom blurted out as she stood up from her seat and placed the napkin down on her plate. I stared at her with confused eyes, I always assumed that the mother was the one who was supposed to go and see to her baby, not the grandmother. "You sit down and finish your meal, you've had a busy day. I'll go and see to Bella, I fancy reading her a bedtime story anyway."

I blushed and wrapped my arms gently around my Mom's neck. "Oh Mom, thank you so much. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind honey!" She called out to me as she began to climb up the staircase. "I'll see you in a little while."

I sat in silence after the door to Isabella's nursery closed and soft gurgles and chuckles from both my Mom and Isabella could be heard from upstairs. I tapped my index finger absentmindedly on the wooden table beneath me and began to debate on whether or not I should text Ross to arrange some type of meet up. I didn't want to be a single teenage mother all on my own, even if Ross and I couldn't work things out, I still wanted extra support from someone who hadn't carried me in the womb for nine months.

I dialled in Ross' number and held my phone close to my ear. I could feel my heart racing in my chest and my breathing had become shallow. I wasn't sure why Ross had this control over my feelings, I could have sworn that I was over him. I wasn't sure who I was trying to fool anymore, myself or him.

"Come outside." Ross murmured through the phone. I hadn't even realised that he'd answered my phone call. Before I could question him, the line went dead.

I stood up slowly from my chair and grabbed my coat. I quickly crept upstairs to check on Isabella and my mom, to my surprise, they were both asleep. Isabella was snoring lightly in her crib and Mom was on the floor beside her with a book in her hand, also snoring quietly into the night. I smiled to myself and closed the door with a gentle push.

As I unlocked the back door, all I could think about were the wonderful memories of this house. I suddenly had a flashback of the night Raini and I were getting ready together in my bedroom upstairs with excitement flowing through our veins. Who knew that on that fateful night my life would change forever.

"Hey." I whispered with a smile as I closed the door behind me. Ross' dark eyes locked with mine and in an instant I could tell that something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

He bit his lip and ran his hands through his hair. "I need to talk to you."

I laughed gently to myself and frowned at him with a half slanted smile. "Well obviously, that's why you're here. What's up?"

"Laur... I had a call earlier today." Ross began as he took a seat on my steps. His legs were shaking and his eyes were filled with confusion and sadness. I wrapped my arms around myself. I began to think the worst, had someone in his family passed away? Was someone ill? I could hardly breathe as I waited for Ross to find the words to explain his situation to me. With a quick shake of his head and a gentle breath out, Ross turned to face me with weary eyes. "It was Riker."

I let out a quiet gasp. If he'd heard from Riker then that instantly meant that Vanessa was with him and that our little niece or nephew was possibly already in the world. My eyes lit up with excitement as I edged myself closer to Ross. I cupped my hands underneath my chin and smiled widely at him. "The baby? Has Vanessa given birth?"

Ross nodded, but he didn't smile. In fact, he barely had any emotion to show on his face. I wasn't sure if I was over reacting or not, but a new family member was a big deal for me, especially since my father had passed away. I'd take whatever excitement I could get. "She gave birth to a little boy. We have a nephew."

"Oh my gosh Ross, that's incredible!" I whispered as I clapped my hands together like a little child who had just been given ice cream after hours of begging for one. "Please tell me they're all coming home... they need to come back and be with all of us."

Ross stared down at the ground beneath our feet as he let out another heavy sigh. "Vanessa and Riker are coming home, Laura." He said calmly as our eyes met for a brief moment. I suddenly realised where he was going with this conversation. It wasn't going to be a happy ending like I assumed it to be, it was going to be completely different; it was going to be reality. "Their son, Ryder, isn't."

"Adoption." I whispered with sadness under my breath. "I never thought she would do that."

"The thing is Laur, there's already one baby in your house. Can you imagine how stressful it would be with two? I can kind of understand why they decided to do this."